Too Square to be Hip
A narcissist's guide to travel and culture
This post outlines what a typical walk though the Butrint Archaeological park is like. In roman times, this former roman colony was a leading urban center in the coastal Balkans, before undergoing a long and slow decline. During the years of communist government, the Albanian dictator, Enver Hoxha closed the site off, along with the …
Sarandë [Saranda] is a beautiful, yet small, city located at the southern tip of Albania. Known for its beaches and dark blue waters, it has become somewhat of a magnet for tourism in recent years. The city receives over 300 days of sun annually and, as such, it should be no surprise that the city …
Podgorica, now that’s a capital that nobody has ever heard of! Probably most people While staying at a hostel in Bosnia, I had inquired about what places to stay while in Podgorica and my host flat out refused to recommend one saying the city was not worth visiting (his actual words were that “There is …
While most of the Balkans fell prey to Turkish expansionism, one region continued to resist. Its people, the Montenegrins, abandoned the shoreline of the Adriatic sea, an easy target for the Turk to raid and continued their fight from the hills and highlands of the Dinaric Alps. Under the wise reign of Prince Nicholas I …
Many cities claim to be impregnable, they have borrowed the moniker “The Gibraltar of the _______”, pretenders they are. Kotor and its mountainous cousin Cetinje make no such claims but the pair may be the closest thing any medieval army faced that would be considered impregnable. The maritime city of Kotor has changed hands many …
This blog post covers the coastal road from Budva to Ulcinj, near the Albanian border. This section of coastline is absolutely spectacular, combining historic old towns, jagged cliffs and winding roads. It is well worth renting a car and stopping off along the way. Although the journey is only 65 kilometers in length, the single …
I often hear fellow travellers deride Skopje as kitschy, often telling others not to visit this city. I find all this talk preposterous, Skopje for all it’s faults, is absolutely worth seeing. For one, it is the most ridiculous and strange place I have ever visited but most importantly, it is fun! Take that self-important …
The new friends I had met on the Greek island of Corfu, Deano and Charlie, dropped me off at the port in the Old Town of Corfu from our hostel, The Pink Palace located in the village of Agios Gordios. The hostel is a 40m ride to the city, but this distance can be bridged …
Long considered Serbia’s second city, and the Serbian capital of culture, Novi Sad is making a dramatic comeback as the capital of the autonomous Vojvodina state. Affectionately referred to as “Serbian Athens” by locals, the city has its own acropolis, the Petrovaradin fortress. The Gibraltar of the Danube is one of the most imposing fortress …
Albania is a strange country and one that is only just starting to unlock its tourism potential. At the time of my visit it was still relatively unknown to the western traveller, occasionally piquing the interest of backpackers seeking to get off the beaten track. Yet, with alternative attractions such as a capital city completely …
